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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab are rolling out new features in Smell PGH, a smartphone app that helps Pittsburgh area residents collectively report foul odors and alert each other to suspicious smells that waft through city neighborhoods and suburbs.

Smell PGH now includes time-lapse animations on its map based on times and locations of smell reports. This feature gives people a better idea of which way a plume of possible pollution is drifting. Also, a new companion website allows anyone to interact with the Smell PGH map visualization and improve their understanding of Allegheny County's pollution landscape — regardless of whether they have a smartphone.

"If you smell something bad in the air, chances are that air isn't good to breathe," said Beatrice Dias, project director for the Robotics Institute's CREATE Lab. "Smell PGH provides a way for citizens to both report unhealthy air to authorities who can investigate it and alert other users so they can avoid it."

Since the CREATE Lab launched Smell PGH 10 months ago, the crowdsourcing app has been downloaded more than 1,300 times and has been used to report foul odors more than 4,300 times.

Users can note the nature and intensity of the smell, as well as any symptoms they might be experiencing. They also can choose to receive alerts about smell reports as well as notable changes in Pittsburgh's official air quality index. App developers have worked with the Allegheny County Health Department to ensure that all foul air complaints are forwarded to the county for investigation.

"Despite Pittsburgh's growing reputation for livability, the metropolitan area continues to lag behind many other communities, particularly for particle pollution," said Illah Nourbakhsh, professor of robotics and head of the CREATE Lab. "Smell PGH enables people to take action, letting others know when and where foul air is a problem and joining together to make their voices heard by health authorities."

"Smell PGH is at the frontier of how citizen scientists can inform policymakers and ensure that we are protecting our health from the dangers of air pollution," said Adam Garber, deputy director of PennEnvironment, a statewide environment advocacy group. Its sister organization, PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center, has been a champion of Smell PGH and partnered with the CREATE Lab to build awareness about the app.

Mark Dixon, a filmmaker and avid cyclist who lives in Squirrel Hill, said the app is something he has come to rely upon.

"The Smell PGH app is both simple and powerful," he said. "The app's reports are surprisingly well-correlated to air pollution monitors that I keep on my front porch, reassuring me that the devices are measuring meaningful information and that there is a community of air quality-minded citizens out there who share my concerns."

"We're grateful to everyone who has been using Smell PGH and helping to improve the awareness of air pollution problems in our area," Dias said. "With the latest enhancements, we hope the app is more useful than ever and encourage more people to give it a try."